William Shakespeare Biography

There is an item displayed at his burial that is the only accurate likeness of Shakespeare. What is this item?

Statute

Shakespeare was the third of 8 children, and he was well educated. Where did he receive his education?

Stratford Grammar School

He was born to a middle-class family in which market town? Country?

Stratford-upon-Avon, England

There was an outbreak of what in 1563? (There continued to be outbreaks until 1603).

The Black Plague

What huge cultural and artistic movement was happening during Shakespeare's time?

The English Renaissance

In 1603 Shakespeare's acting group changed its name. What did it change to?

The King's Men

Most theatergoers greatly enjoyed the ghastly parts of certain performances. How did Shakespeare satisfy the audience's hunger for blood and gore?

When people were killed in the play, they used animal blood.

Where is Shakespeare buried?

stratford's holy trinity church

Why was London so popular during this time period?

It was a huge cultural metropolis

What is Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet based upon?

Another story by Arthur Brooke and his story was called the Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet

When was William Shakespeare born?

April 23, 1564

When did he die?

April 23, 1616

Each play ended with a grand finale. What could a theater patron expect to see during the finale?

Singers, Acrobats, Tumblers

Theaters were mostly located out in the __________. Why?

Slums to avoid authorities

When was Romeo and Juliet written?

1594

When was it built?

1599

How many people could Shakespeare's theater hold when it was first built?

2,000

By 1600, there were many public theaters in London. The average weekly attendance for several theaters was around __________ a week.

20,000

How many plays did Shakespeare write in total?

37 plays

At what age did Shakespeare return to his home town to enjoy partial retirement?

48

How many plays did Shakespeare write by the year 1594?

6

Shakespeare eventually became part of a repertory theater company. What is a repertory theater company?

A Western theatre or opera production in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. A company that presents and performs multiple different plays.

Think about your answer to #15. What colors could this item be and what did each color signify? Hint: There are three answers here.

A black flag indicated tragedy, White was comedy, Red was history

What were "groundlings"?

A spectator or reader of inferior taste, such as a member of a theater audience who traditionally stood in the front.

It is evidenced that Shakespeare enjoyed quick popularity as both a(n) ______________ and ___________________.

Actor and playwright

What were the seating areas in this theater called and how many areas were there?

Galleries and there were three of them

The __________ __________ was Shakespeare's famed theater.

Globe Theater

It is noted that Shakespeare's parents were both illiterate. What did his father do for a living?

Glove Maker and then the mayor of Stratford

Shakespeare and his wife had 3 children - Susanna (oldest), followed by twins Judith and Hamnet. Which one of Shakespeare's children died at the age of 11?

Hamnet

During this time, Shakespeare focused his attention on writing what?

His sonnets

What are the 3 genres of Shakespeare's plays?

History, comedy, tragedy

What were his parents' names?

John Shakespeare Mary Shakespeare

What were these areas called?

Liberties

Shakespeare eventually left his family in 1592. During this time, there isn't much history on his life, and his departure is not clear. Where did he go?

London

In 1594, which group of actors did Shakespeare perform and write for?

Lord Chamberlain's men

He was 18 when he married________________________. How old was his wife when they married? Why did they marry?

Married Anne Hathaway. His wife was 26 years old. They married because she was pregnant

Shakespeare was a poet and playwright who made not only monumental contributions to the world of language and literature, but also to the creative arts - __________, __________, and __________ - as well.

Music, dance, and art

In London, conditions like _____ _____, _____ _____, and _____ _____ helped lead to this outbreak.

Open gutters, raw sewage, and rotting garbage

Many Elizabethan playwrights used this as a source of their own plays. Shakespeare used it as well, but added his own perspective and creativity. What was it?

Other playwright's plotlines

Things began to change for actors given the support of this person

Queen Elizabeth I

This was a popular group. Shakespeare and these actors mostly performed for whom?

Queen Elizabeth I

Which monarch did Shakespeare's repertory theater company perform for?

Queen Elizabeth I

What event brought about the change in the name of Shakespeare's acting group?

Queen Elizabeth I dies so her cousin James I took power

What was placed outside of the theater to indicate what type of play was being performed?

Red, white, or black flags flying on top of the Flag mast

Because of the time in history that Shakespeare lived, the life of a playwright was not deemed worthy of recording in historical records. What is this vague period in Shakespeare's life called (from the time he left his family, until he became known)?

The Lost Years

What time of day did most theater performances take place? Why?

The performances took place in the afternoon when it was brightest outside so the audience could see what was happening.

Each play would begin with a prologue. Before the prologue would be recited, something else introduced the start of a play. What was it?

The sound of trumpets

There was another outbreak in 1592. What happened to the theaters as a result AND why was this step taken?

Theaters were closed over concern of public welfare

Why didn't playwrights circulate their play manuscripts during this time in history (late 1500s)?

They could easily be stolen

Why were actors thought of that way?

They were considered to be vagabonds.

When Shakespeare first came into the world of theater, how were actors thought of?

They were thought of in a very low regard.

Surprisingly, even though we read Shakespeare as literature, his plays were not originally written to be read in this way and were not meant to be handed down in "perpetuity" (the state or quality of lasting forever). So, for what purpose were his plays written then?

To be performed

How long did Shakespeare remain with this acting group?

Until he retired

Around this same time, what did Shakespeare become a shareholder in?

the globe theater

There are two very important things to keep in mind about Shakespeare's audiences. Despite the fact that people from all social and economic classes went to watch his performances, most theater goers were ___________. It was with the ___________ ____________ that he achieved resounding success.

uneducated, common people